Tuesday, January 26, 2016

After days of nationwide protests and bringing the company on the verge brink of a strike, the med reps of pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Aventis (Phils) Inc. won their demand for a wage hike and concluded their new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The CBA was signed by the union and management late last night after a marathon whole-day mediation meeting called by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz to avert a planned strike.

“What we were not able to achieve in four months of protracted negotiations at the table, we won in four days of nationwide protests in the streets. We owe this victory to the unity and activism of the union members, first of all, and then next to the solidarity of our sisters and brothers in the labor movement. Ang panalo ng Sanofi med reps ay panalo ng lahat ng manggagawa,” declared Lei Lucido, president of the Sanofi Aventis Employees Union (SAEU).

SAEU members with a tenure of 10 years and above will get a P2,800 monthly salary increase every year for three years and a merit pay increase of P600, equivalent to a 9% hike in average monthly wages. Employees with less than 10 years tenure will get P1,800 per year for the duration of the CBA and a merit pay hike of P400.

“The salary hike we obtained will ensure we remain at the living wage and that our compensation is competitive with our labor productivity and company profitability. Further, the CBA we have attained will hopefully set a benchmark that will benefit all workers in the pharmaceutical industry,” averred Joseph Corpuz, a SEAU officer.

Sanofi had been in the news recently because the Department of Health had ordered just for this year some P3 billion worth of anti-dengue vaccines that is solely manufactured by Sanofi. According to media reports, executives of the French-owned global company met President Benigno Aquino III on the sidelines of the Paris climate change talks ostensibly over the vaccine contract.

CBA negotiations between SAEU and Sanofi were deadlocked in October last year which led to a notice of strike. After the strike notice matured more than a week ago, SAEU organized daily protests in the Sanofi office in Makati and the cities of Angeles in Pampanga, Calamba in Laguna, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod and Davao. The mediation yesterday was billed by the union as a make-or-break meeting which would have led to a strike if no “fair deal” was reached.

Renato Magtubo, chair of Partido Manggagawa (PM), among the groups which supported SAEU, said that “The hard-won victory of SAEU is an inspiration and a lesson to colleagues in the labor movement. SAEU the David slayed the goliath Sanofi through unity and action. Sanofi blinked when it was brought to the brink of a strike that SAEU had prepared well.”

Monday, January 25, 2016

The restive med reps of pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Aventis declared their readiness to go on strike should the make or break mediation meeting today produce no breakthrough in the deadlocked collective bargaining negotiations. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz called for the mediation in bid to avert a work stoppage at the Philippine subsidiary of the French-owned global giant.

“If it takes a strike to make management realize that it is the labor of their employees that creates their profit, then we are all set for it. Still we hope that Secretary Baldoz can broker a fair deal today. A fair deal, a decent collective bargaining agreement should mean a salary that we deserve,” insisted Lei Lucido, president of the Sanofi Aventis Employees Union (SAEU).

While SAEU representatives attended the mediation at the Department of Labor and Employment, scores of union members with their supporters picketed outside. The highlight of the protest was a flash mob by several med reps who danced while wearing Guy Fawkes masks. The masks have become an icon of anti-corporate protests since it was popularized in the movie “V.”

Since October last year, bargaining talks have been deadlocked over ten items from salary hike to hospitalization plan. The notice of strike filed by the med reps union matured two weeks ago.

“A strike is the Rx for deadlocked negotiations over a wage increase. This may be our first time to go on strike but we are ready as ever. We appeal to management to hear our reasonable demand for a salary hike which is a mere drop in the bucket of Sanofi’s income,” argued Joseph Corpuz, SAEU officer.

He added that “Aside from robust revenues due to sales quotas achieved by med reps for the past two years, Sanofi has bagged the contract for anti-dengue vaccines. For this year alone, the government is buying PhP 3 billion worth of vaccines from Sanofi. Health Secretary Janet Garin has been quoted as saying that the anti-dengue vaccine is expensive because it is a monopoly of Sanofi.”

Renato Magtubo, chair of Partido Manggagawa (PM), explained that “Labor groups are supporting the fight of Sanofi med reps not just because their demand for a wage hike is justified given employee productivity and company profitability. But also because the fight for a living wage is a cause of all workers. Ang laban ng Sanofi med reps ay laban ng lahat ng manggagawa.”

PM and the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) were among the groups which joined SAEU in the protest today at DOLE. Other labor groups like the Bayer Philippines union, Federation of Free Workers and the Industri-ALL global union have also participated in the Sanofi med reps mass actions.

Since last week, SAEU has held daily protests in cities across the country in preparation for the strike. Pickets and prayer rallies have been organized in the Sanofi office in Makati, and the cities of Angeles in Pampanga, Calamba in Laguna, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo and Davao.

Photos and videos of protests and events can be accesses at Facebook page "Sanofi Aventis Employees Union"

Sunday, January 24, 2016

With a mediation meeting tomorrow between the union and management of pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Aventis (Phils) Inc. called by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz herself, the med reps are calling on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to broker a “fair deal.” The mediation is a make or break meeting as the notice of strike has already matured last week and the union has already been preparing for a work stoppage for the past several days through sustained protests.

Lei Lucido, president of the Sanofi Aventis Employees Union (SAEU), stated that “We have already reduced our demands, including for a wage increase, in a bid to break the collective bargaining deadlock. But since October, management has refused to meet its employees halfway. We just hope Secretary Baldoz can exercise moral suasion on management to open up to the union’s just and fair demand.”

“We are simply asking for salary we deserve. We are just claiming a wage increase proportionate to labor productivity and company profitability,” Lucido added.

SAEU is planning a big protest tomorrow to coincide with the mediation. The highlight will be a flash mob by several SAEU members who will dance while wearing Guy Fawkes (movie “V”) masks as expression of their determination to fight for a wage increase and decent benefits.

“We have met demanding sales quotas for two years back to back. Revenues are expanding while med reps are dwindling. Still labor costs are a mere 2% of Sanofi’s operational costs. Such productivity increases deserve a salary increase,” insisted Joseph Corpuz, a SAEU officer.

In the latest protest on Friday, SAEU members previewed the flash mob/dance that they will perform tomorrow. Since Wednesday SAEU has organized daily protests in cities across the country. On the first day of protests, pickets were held in the Sanofi office in Makati and the DOLE regional offices in the cities of Angeles in Pampanga, Cebu, Bacolod and Davao. Last Thursday, prayer rallies were held in the cities of Makati, Calamba in Laguna, Angeles, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod and Davao.

The fight of the Sanofi med reps has already gained support from various labor unions and groups. Aside from PM, members of the Bayer Philippines labor union, Philippine Airlines Employees Association, Federation of Free Workers and Industri-ALL global union have participated in the SAEU daily protests.

Photos and videos of the SAEU activities/protests can be accessed at the Facebook page "Sanofi Aventis Employees Union"

DETAILS:The mediation today called by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz between the union and management of Sanofi Aventis (Phils) Inc. is a make or break meeting as the notice of strike has already matured last week and the union has already been preparing for a work stoppage for the past several days through sustained protests.

The highlight of the protest at the DOLE today is a flash mob/dance by several SAEU members wearing Guy Fawkes (movie “V”) masks as an expression of their determination to fight for a wage increase and decent benefits.

Lei Lucido, president of the Sanofi Aventis Employees Union (SAEU), stated that “We have already reduced our demands, including for a wage increase, in an effort to break the collective bargaining deadlock. But since October, management has refused to meet its employees halfway. We are simply asking for a salary we deserve. We are just claiming a wage increase proportionate to labor productivity and company profitability.”

Since last week SAEU has organized daily protests in cities across the country. On the first day of protests pickets were held in the Sanofi office in Makati and the DOLE regional offices in the cities of Angeles in Pampanga, Cebu, Bacolod and Davao. Last Thursday, prayer rallies were held in the cities of Makati, Calamba in Laguna, Angeles, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod and Davao. Last Friday, SAEU members previewed in Makati the flash mob/dance that they will perform in the protest tomorrow.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Med reps of the pharmaceutical firm Sanofi-Aventis
held a prayer rally this afternoon as their protests entered its second day. The
Philippine subsidiary of the giant French-owned multinational company is on the
verge of strike as collective bargaining talks remain deadlocked. Since October
last year, management and union have locked horns over ten items in the
collective bargaining agreement, among them a wage increase. Labor Secretary
Rosalinda Baldoz have called for mediation meeting on Monday inbid to avert the impending strike.

“Sanofi med reps are asking for a wage hike
that is commensurate to our labor productivity and company profitability. No
more, no less. We are simply fighting for a salary we deserve,” declared Lei
Lucido, president of the Sanofi-Aventis
Employees Union (SAEU).

SAEU members organized the prayer
rally today to dramatize their fight for a wage increase and other benefits. Mass
actions were also launched today by SAEU in Iloilo City and Cebu City as part
of the nationally coordinated protests.

Yesterday some 100 med reps held a
rally at the Sanofi corporate headquarters in Makati while scores of other
union members picketed the Department of Labor and Employment regional offices
in the cities of Angeles in Pampanga, Cebu, Bacolod and Davao.

“Productivity increase should
translate into a salary increase. If not, then there is no inclusive growth. If
not, then gross inequality ensues,” argued Joseph Corpuz, a SAEU officer.

He added that “Labor costs comprise
just two percent of the operational costs of Sanofi-Aventis. Granting our
demand for a wage hike will hardly make a dent on the profitability a huge
company like Sanofi.”

Lucido explained that “We aim to
conclude a good CBA that will be an industry benchmark which should benefit all
pharmaceutical workers. The fight for a salary increase and a living wage is not
just our struggle, it is the fight of all Filipino workers.”

SAEU represents some 200 med reps
working for the company over the whole country. Sanofi-Aventis is among the
biggest pharmaceutical companies in the Philippines and is fourth largest in
the world in terms of sales.

DETAILS:On the second day of protests over a deadlock in collective bargaining negotiations, med reps of pharmaceutical firm Sanofi-Aventis are holding a prayer rally this afternoon. Since October last year, CBA talks have been deadlocked over ten items from salary hike to hospitalization plan.

In protests held nationwide yesterday, some 100 med reps launched a rally at the Sanofi corporate headquarters in Makati while scores of other union members picketed the Department of Labor and Employment regional offices in the cities of Angeles in Pampanga, Cebu, Bacolod and Davao.

Any day now the union Sanofi-Aventis Employees Union(SAEU) can organize a work stoppage as their notice of strike already matured last Friday. SAEU vowed to sustain daily actions to push for the resolution of the CBA deadlock.

Lei Lucido, president of the said that “We call on management to meet halfway the demands of its loyal, hardworking employees. Sanofi med reps are just asking for a salary we deserve. We are appealing for a fair share of the fruits of our labor.”

Scores of med
reps of the big pharmaceutical firm Sanofi-Aventis held a protest this morning to
call on management to accede to workers’ demands for a wage increase and end the
collective bargaining negotiations deadlock. Since October last year, bargaining
talks have been deadlocked over ten items from salary hike to hospitalization
plan. Last Friday, the notice of strike filed by the med reps union matured and
a strike can be launched any day according to law.

Lei
Lucido, president of the Sanofi-Aventis Employees Union(SAEU) said that “We
call on management to meet halfway the demands of its loyal, hardworking
employees. For two straight years, med reps have met their tough sales quotas
and revenues are increasing while the number of employees are decreasing. Sanofi
med reps are just asking for a salary we deserve. We are appealing for a fair
share of the fruits of our labor.”

In the noisy
but peaceful protest by SAEU, several members spoke in turn about the challenges
of achieving sales quotas and the stress of meeting productivity demands by
management. They also held a noise barrage using whistles to symbolize their hope
that management will hear their just demands.

“A good
collective bargaining agreement that provides for a living wage and decent
benefits is the Rx for the productive and demanding work that med reps deliver.
Sanofi-Aventis is a very profitable company that can afford to be generous to
its employees. We remind management that happy workers are productive workers,”
insisted Joseph Corpuz, a SAEU officer.

He added
that “Labor costs comprise just two percent of the operational costs of
Sanofi-Aventis. Granting our demand for a wage hike will hardly make a dent on
the profitability a giant multinational company like Sanofi.”

SAEU members in cities of Angeles, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod and Davao
also held protests at the regional officers of the Department of Labor and Employment.The mass actions today is the start
of daily actions to push for the resolution of the CBA deadlock.

SAEU represents
some 200 med reps working for the company over the whole country. Sanofi-Aventis
is among the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the Philippines and is fourth
largest in the world in terms of sales. Sanofi-Aventis (Philippines) Inc. is
the subsidiary of the multinational firm Sanofi based in France.

DETAILS:Scores of Sanofi-Aventis med reps are holding the protest tomorrow to
call on the company to end the deadlock over collective bargaining negotiations
by meeting workers’ demands for a wage increase. Since October last year, CBA
talks have been deadlocked over ten items from salary hike to hospitalization
plan. Last Friday, the notice of strike filed by the med reps union matured and
a strike can be launched any day according to law.

Lei Lucido,
president of the Sanofi-Aventis Employees Union(SAEU) said that “We call on
management to meet halfway the demands of its loyal, hardworking employees. For
two straight years, med reps have met their tough sales quotas and revenues are
increasing while the number of employees are decreasing. Sanofi med reps are just
asking for a salary we deserve. We are appealing for a fair share of the fruits
of our labor. We aim to conclude a good CBA that will be an industry benchmark which
should benefit all pharmaceutical workers.”

SAEU represents
some 200 med reps working for the company over the whole country. Similar
pickets will be held by SAEU members in cities of Angeles, Cebu and Davao.The protest tomorrow is the start of
daily actions to push for the resolution of the CBA deadlock.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Indignations against the slashing of the P1B budget for contraceptives continue to grow, with the labor partylist group calling for its restoration by any means available in the legislative and executive department.

Scores of women members of Partido Manggagawa (PM) picketed the Senate Building this morning to express their condemnation against its members, specifically Senators Sotto and Legarda, who initiated the cut based on flimsy grounds. The groupvowed more actions and a vigorous campaign until the budget cut is reversed.

The group argues that the deletion of funds for family planning commodities such as condoms, pills and IUDs will adversely affect the delivery of social services to poor and indigent families.

“The hard-won victory of the RH Law is now is being killed softly by legislative maneuvering of anti-women solons,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, secretary-general of PM and one of its partylist bets. Miranda will join a presscon by pro-RH groups to condemn the move against the implementation of the reproductive health law.

“Ang RH law ay nasa tamang panahon, bakit ito kinapon?” read one placard of the protesters, referring to Lola Nidora’s line ‘sa tamang panahon’ in a polular segmentKalyeserye of a noontime show Eat Bulaga where Sotto is part of.

Another placard read: “Legarda, Ligaw na,” which is a swipe against Sen. Legarda who is known before to be pro-women.

“Sotto’s anti-RH position is a given but his latest action showed that he is not only number one in senatorial surveys. He is also women’s enemy number one,” said Miranda.

Miranda said Sotto is issuing stupid arguments like condoms and pills as being abortifacients which were resolved issues during the long deliberations over the RH bills.

As to Legarda, Miranda said: Iba na siguro ang panahon (perhaps time has changed), as her argument for shifting the family planning budget to air defense was an outright betrayal to women cause.

The group said the House’s contingent to the Bicameral Conference Committee were equally responsible for this budget loss to women.

PM is calling for Quality Public Services in its electoral platform and one of its components include wider access of women to quality services, including reproductive health.

Friday, January 8, 2016

The Aquino administration cannot hide the incompetence of DOTC Sec. Joseph Emilio Abaya by conveniently referring to the original sins of the Ramos administration, the partylist group Partido Manggagawa (PM) said in a statement.

The group said that while it completely agrees with the ‘original sin’ line of the Liberal Party (LP) in identifying the main problem besetting the MRT system, the administration is likewise guilty of repeating the same mistake by lining all the rehabilitation, maintenance, and expansion programs for MRT/LRT systems under PPP (Public-Private Partnership), which is but another name for the Ramos-era BOT (Build-Operate Transfer) scheme.

“LP should not point an accusing finger to other sinners when what it can only offer to our people is the same menu placed in separate tables,” said PM spokesman Wilson Fortaleza.

Fortaleza said LP stalwart Edgar Erice was right in describing the MRT-3 contract as ‘highway robbery’ yet he avoided to explain why the ‘tuwid na daan’ failed to apprehend the robbers.

“Erice is also correct in considering the option of expropriation to finally eliminate the resistance of the MRTC consortium, yet his DOTC secretary wasted six years on cherry-picking who among his choice concessionaires would replace the Sobrepenas and the former supply and maintenance provider,” said Fortaleza.

Fortaleza added that for the last six years, the Aquino administration pursued not the track of expropriation but of privatization, first by gradually removing the subsidy through fare increase, and second, by lining all MRT/LRT maintenance and expansion projects to PPP concessions.

“This PPP scheme, which is no different from BOT, caused the delay of the much needed rehabilitation of the MRT system, the expansion of LRT 1 to Cavite and the construction of MRT 7 from North QC to Fairview and Bulacan. Abaya even failed to connect LRT 1 and MRT 3 simply because the Ayala and Henry Sy fight over the common station,” lamented Fortaleza.

As to Abaya who faces other pressing problems in the transport and communications industry, the labor group said that with no action coming from PNoy, they can leave his fate to Heneral Luna since the problem with our current mass transport system is larger than the secretary’s head.

PM partylist is calling for quality public services in its electoral platform, and its components include the development of safe, clean and affordable mass transport system. And to be able to do it, the program needs huge amount of public investment and subsidy, not the abdication of state responsibility.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

The
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is being called upon by the workers
of Eziconnect Philippines to investigate the furtive removal of computers from
their call center which had shutdown without due notice. They revealed that on
December 24 several men took out six computers, a day after the DOLE made a
site visit. Fifteen employees filed a complaint for illegal closure one day
after Eziconnect suddenly shuttered on December 21.

Gerard
Escubido, one of the 15 Eziconnect employees, exclaimed that “Instead of a
Santa Claus bearing gifts on Christmas eve, here we have Ebenezer Scrooges stealing
assets that can be used to defray out claims for unpaid wages and separation
benefits. We have identified the perpetrators who removed the Eziconnect
computers and we also have a suspect who masterminded it.”

“We
call on Eziconnect owner Rodney Kafer to honor obligations to his workers who
have loyally served the company for the past several years,” added Escubido.
Kafer is a former Australian rugby player and Fox Sports commentator.

Dennis
Derige, spokesperson of the Cebu chapter of Partido Manggagawa (PM) which is
assisting the Eziconnect employees, stated that “We are asking DOLE-7 for prompt
and appropriate action. It seems Eziconnect did not just shutdown illegally but
is also a runaway shop.”

Aside
from half a month of salaries and separation pay, the Eziconnect workers are
demanding financial assistance and damages.

Derige
insisted on speedy response from the government as the illegal shutdown of
Eziconnect was the fifth case in Metro Cebu that they have encountered in the
last four years. He cited the earlier cases of Direct Access, Cordia, Leadamorphosis
and Blue Connect in which a total of about one thousand workers were adversely
affected by sudden closures.

“Through
the help of PM partylist, the workers of the four call centers got favorable
settlements or awards from the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).
Although in the case of Leadamorphosis workers, they have yet to receive a cent
of the P36 million NLRC decision because the owners are in the USA,” Derige
elaborated.

The
partylist group reiterated its request that government require BPO’s to put up
a bond to compensate workers’ money claims in case of sudden or illegal
closure. “Call centers should set aside two months’ worth of salaries of all workers
they intend to hire which will be used to defray unpaid salaries, benefits and
separation pay,” Derige explained.

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